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Richard Hunt began carving with his father, the late Henry Hunt, at the age of thirteen. In 1973, Richard began work at the Royal British Columbia Museum as an apprentice carver under his father. The following year he assumed the duties of chief carver
in the Thunderbird Park Carving Program where he remained for twelve years. In 1986, Richard resigned to begin a new career as a freelance artist. He comes from a family of internationally respected artists, which include his father Henry Hunt and his
grandfather Mungo Martin.
Richard Hunt’s talent has yielded a diverse body of work including limited edition serigraphs, designs on drums, boxes and screens, and jewellery. His best-known work however is his carving, mostly in the traditional
cedar. Richard has made many traditional ceremonial items such as masks, frontlets, rattles and bowls, both for use in potlatches and for the collections of museums, galleries, and private collectors. His work also includes large, monumental pieces such
as totem poles, grave markers, houseposts and a full size Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) whaling canoe.
Richard Hunt is also an experienced ritualist and dancer. He has performed at many potlatches, feasts, and public displays. Among his ceremonial
prerogatives is the Hamatsa dance, the highest ranked of the Kwa-Gulth dances, which he owns two times over. Richard’s Indian name is “Gwe-la-yo-qwe-la-gya-lis” which means “a man that travels the world giving.” Through his art and dancing, Richard Hunt
has indeed given much to the world.
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